Confessions of a man on women in leadership, to all other men

For the betterment of the world women need to be involved. We have recently completed research in several countries, including our very own, Hungary, one of our neighbors, Romania, and two role models: the US and Australia. We focused on the differences and similarities between man and women in leadership and have compared national results to each other.

There were some suprising and also obvious observations. In general (and these are correct for all countries we surveyed) female leaders are not motivated to move ahead at any price as a man might be. Women handle stress situations less capably than men; and women tend to put altruism ahead of profits. Stress situations such as boredom, fatigue and classical stress tend to cause cautious behavior followed by withdrawal from the situation.

Hmmm, does it sounds positive? Not really, but as everything thess tendencies also have a positive side. With less adjustment, you listen for more feedback; with less ambition you might care for others goals as well as opposed your own; and with more altruism, you not only look at dollar figures, but such issues as CSR and company ethics.

The bottom line?, We should put woman in leadership positions. We should listen to them and work together hand in hand, making ourself as a real circle, ensuring that together with everyone (women and man) we can really create a sustainably developing world.

And if you have not been convinced, I would point to a study by McKenzie and Company in the USA: companies having female CEO’s perfom 60% better than the rest.